About Montessori

“Free the child’s potential and you transform him into the world.” Dr. Maria Montessori

The Montessori method is a scientifically-based, empirically validated, time-tested approach to education educational approach that was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori more than a century ago. It is based on careful observation of children’s needs in a variety of cultures all around the world. There are currently more than 5,000 Montessori schools in the United States, and an estimated 22,000 worldwide. The world’s largest public school, with an enrollment of 50,000, is a Montessori school based in India. Montessori programs can be found in an estimated 500 American public schools.

Dr. Montessori, a humanitarian, devout Catholic and first female physician in Italy, began her revolutionary work more than a century ago. Her philosophy is based upon scientific observations of students who attended the “Casa dei Bambini,” a school she founded for disadvantaged and disabled children in Rome.

“It is not true that I invented what is known as the Montessori method. I have studied the child, I have taken what the child has given me and expressed it, and that is what is called the Montessori method,” she said.

Dr. Montessori developed an educational approach that was based on her deep understanding of children’s natural learning tendencies as they unfold in “prepared environments.” All of the environments are designed for multi-age groups (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12 and 12-15).

Montessori: Brained-Based Education

Montessori education supports the natural, instinctive self-construction of the child as he or she grows. There is a flow from one developmental stage to the next and the prepared environments allow for natural transitions through the stages and for a seamless continuum of learning.

Dr. Steven Hughes, president of the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology, calls Montessori “the original brain-based approach to education because it is based upon scientific principles of human development.”

Each stage of a Montessori education consists of a three-year age span, grouped together in the same classroom. The classrooms are: parent-infant (ages 0 to 3), preschool (ages 3 to 6), lower and upper elementary (ages 6 to 9 and 9 to 12), and middle school (ages 12 to 15). Each of these environments is designed to accurately and precisely reflect the natural learning characteristics of the child at that stage of development. Through the use of the prepared environment and guided by the trained Montessori teacher, the child is able to engage in a wide variety of tasks which encourage divergent thinking, social interaction and practice with applying logical problem-solving skills — all at the level that is developmentally appropriate for the child’s specific stage. The children learn the how and why of what they know as well they gain a rich storehouse of knowledge about the world.